Israeli army rescues pilgrims who snuck into Nablus to visit Joseph’s Tomb
One man, wounded by Palestinians, hides out in Nablus overnight; is extricated by PA police, who hand him over to Israeli authorities
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Several Israeli civilians entered the West Bank city of Nablus late Sunday in an attempt to reach Joseph’s Tomb without coordinating with the military, leading the army to send a large number of forces into the area to retrieve them.
The Israel Defense Forces said the incident occurred as it was about to carry out an escorted visit of Jewish pilgrims to the shrine.
“Shortly before the entry… a number of Israeli citizens entered the Nablus city area without permission,” the IDF said in response to a query on the matter.
The military said it worked to bring the men out of Nablus. As a result of the incident, the planned escorted visit was canceled.
One of the men, reported to be a member of the Shuvu Bonim cult led by convicted sex offender Rabbi Eliezer Berland, was wounded by Palestinians in Nablus.
According to the Kan public broadcaster, the man hid out in Nablus overnight, before being rescued by Palestinian Authority police, who then handed him over to Israeli authorities.
שכם- לאחר שהציבו רצועת חיילי כיבוש ופינו את כל הרחובות במזרח שכם מפלסטינים הגיעו מתנחלים מכיוון הר גרזים והלכו ל״קבר יוסף״ pic.twitter.com/9W0Ux1hyCe
— رسالة – רסאלה (@RISALA_2) June 3, 2024
Before the war, busloads of Orthodox Jews visited Joseph’s Tomb under IDF protection on a nearly monthly basis, and the pilgrimages almost always sparked violent clashes with Palestinian locals.
The IDF bars Israeli citizens from entering Palestinian cities without prior authorization and protection, and some criticize the monthly incursions as an unnecessary provocation that places Israeli soldiers at risk.
The shrine, regarded by some as the final resting place of the biblical patriarch Joseph, is located inside Area A of the West Bank, which is officially under complete Palestinian Authority control, though the Israeli military regularly enters despite Palestinian opposition.
The incident came a few days after two IDF soldiers were killed in a car-ramming attack at one of the entrances to Nablus.
Elsewhere in the West Bank on Monday, an Israeli-owned car and a bus came under sustained fire near the settlement of Beit Hagai outside Hebron.
Emergency services said no one was hurt in the incident, but footage showed bullet impacts on the vehicles.
The IDF said it launched searches in the area for the perpetrators of the shooting.
